To Prove Oneself
by ShayLeighJoy
Summary: The appearance of Laurel Lance in the place of Sara, pushes Felicity away from Team Arrow. Felicity takes off, determined to make herself worthy; able to do all the things everyone on the team could.
1. Expectations

Felicity sat in her chair, pretending to work on updating her computers, but in reality was listening to Oliver and Laurel talk across the lair. The last time a Lance came into the lair, Felicity had to watch their relationship build, but even worse she had become obsolete. At least before it had been Sara and she had spoken to Felicity; Laurel just looked at her like a piece of trash. Of course now that she and Sara were okay, Sara left with Nyssa and Gorgeous Laurel walked into her place. To make it worse, Oliver still hadn't explained the mansion.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a beep from her computers. Noticing her start, Diggle walked over to her.

"You okay there Felicity?" Her head shot up again.

"Oh yeah I'm fine." Digg looked at her, the look on his face quite obviously calling bullshit. Felicity let her eyes flash to where Oliver was teaching Laurel how to fight. She thought her look was subtle, but Digg noticed.

"Laurel messing around with your head?"

"Yeah. Well, no. Sort of. I still don't know why Oliver said what he did in the mansion and now Laurel has replaced Sara, and again I've become the lowly IT girl who is only here for research. Then again, Laurel may show me up there too. If that happens what good will I be? I mean I can't fight and no one will teach me how. Face it, without a computer I'm useless."

"Look Felicity, I know you had a rough time with Sara at first, but Laurel isn't her. Sure Laurel is determined to become the Canary, but who says she will stay after that? Besides, Oliver won't train you because he cares. He may show it in the worst way possible, but that's why. He'll come around eventually." Felicity sighed.

"I'm sure he will, but will I even still be here?" She got up grabbing her bag and heading to the door. "I need to think. I'll be back eventually." She left Digg staring at her retreating form and she refused to look back.


	2. Hard Work

She stalked up the stairs and through the door. It was dark in the parking lot, but that was probably for the best. As much as she wanted to pretend she was okay, she couldn't. She couldn't help the thoughts that crossed her mind as she crossed the parking lot. Sara and Oliver were training one night when they got together, who's to say that it won't happen the same way with Laurel and him. Obviously Sara had those skills from the island and from the League of Assassins, but Laurel was smart. She was the one who was able to make the plan to keep Oliver from running to Slade. She was the one he had loved since before the island, and she was the one taken by Slade; Felicity was just the one who became a tool in the background so they could save both her and Laurel. It really hit her then. No matter the outcome of their final meeting with Slade, Laurel would have been okay. She was the one who put her life on the line for both Lance sisters now, and she was still being replaced by them; and her replacement wasn't even based on her feelings for Oliver, but the fact that she was a part of Team Arrow. She was officially tired of this. She would not be the little IT girl who couldn't protect herself; even if that meant becoming something other than Felicity Smoak. 

Back in the lair it wasn't until Oliver and Laurel stopped sparring that they noticed that Digg was sitting in Felicity's chair, and Felicity was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Felicity?" He asked.

"She left."

"Why?" Oliver could ask all the questions he wanted but Digg wasn't going to give him all the details; at least not today. If he told him than Oliver would go running over there and that wasn't what Felicity needed tonight.

"Give her space to think and either she or I will tell you tomorrow. Now though I am going to head home to Lyla." Digg turned and walked out, not unlike Felicity's exit hours before. Oliver turned to Laurel, but all she did was shrug her shoulders.

At first Felicity drove aimlessly, unsure of where she wanted to go, before her idea hit her. Within half an hour she had run to a 24 hour convenience store, stocked up on things like first aid and pain killers, and returned home to pack her bags. She was hoping she wouldn't use most of it, but she wanted to play it at least a little safe. She booked her plane ticket in the midst of packing, and so now she was getting in her car to head to the airport in Central City, and then on to Lian Yu; no matter if it is purgatory.

It had been nearly two days when Felicity finally reached Lian Yu. Between all of the plane rides and then having to jump out of another plane, she was ready for a break. Instead though she pushed on, starting the project that she had come here to accomplish.

It didn't take her long to find her way back to the fuselage that had been one of the homes to Oliver, Slade, and Shado. Now it was going to be her home for a time; only ready to leave when she felt ready. Now, even with her long day she didn't sleep. Instead she forced herself to build a fire and look around her area. Using the skills that she had learned from Oliver and Diggle, she made a thorough search of the immediate vicinity; and then she let herself curl up in a dark corner of the plane, hidden away from plain view. The next day was going to be the start of her training; her strength training, learning about the environment, trying to learn the skills that Oliver, Sara, Diggle, and Roy knew; skills that could apparently only be learned from having to struggle to survive.


	3. Beginnings

Felicity's first day on the Island dawned bright, early, and wet. The rain had been pouring down for a few hours now. The first clap of thunder had pulled Felicity from her dreams and it hadn't let her sleep again; anytime she was close there had been a boom that seemed to shake the entire plane.

It was okay though-she'd try to sleep more tonight. All she could do now was wait for it to slow; or end up exploring in the rain. So settling in, waiting for the rain to slow, she tried to go back to sleep. Even though she knew it wasn't going to happen.

* * *

><p>Oliver was working out when he heard the security lock on the door disengage.<p>

He turned and took a fighting stance; he expected it be one of the other members of Team Arrow, but you never knew, the security certainly didn't keep Slade out.

Of course, it was just Diggle coming in, but he couldn't help but hope that it would be Felicity. He still hadn't heard from her and he was getting worried.

Oliver didn't even let Digg get a word out before he started talking. "So, where's Felicity? I haven't heard from her all day."

"She said that she had a lot that she needed to think about. She probably just turned her phone on silent so she had some peace."

Oliver looked like he was about to start a argument. "Oliver I was serious when I said that she needed space last night. Give her another day and then we'll worry."

Oliver gave Diggle a curt nod before stalking towards the salmon ladder.

* * *

><p>After a half-hour the rain had calmed, but showed no sign of stopping completely. Felicity drug herself out from her warm cocoon of blanket and almost immediately the chill worked itself through her body, leaving millions of goose bumps in its wake.<p>

Already she was beginning to wonder if she had acted too rashly; she had hopped on a plane without a second thought, but she knew she wouldn't be able to face Starling City and its resident vigilantes until she was part way to being a vigilante herself, or at least fighting like one.

I will not let anyone down.

With this in mind she made herself leave the fuselage and enter the forest of Lian Yu.

It was only seconds before Felicity was completely drenched. She didn't turn back; she couldn't get more soaked than she was already, so she continued exploring- heading deeper into the canopy.

She was on edge as she walked around in the trees that encircled the plane. Digg wouldn't have approved the fact that she was just now doing a check, but nothing had happened so far; so she was perfectly fine.

He'd never know anyway.

Finding nothing in the area she completed her search. It was time to start work.

The days passed quickly as Felicity started adjusting to island life. She had gotten used to the rain and the dirt and the muscle aches and she had finally convinced herself that hunting was necessary; but it still bothered it so she avoided it as much as possible.

It left her hungry, but she was getting better at ignoring it.

So far she hadn't seen any other people, which was both good and bad, but she knew it wasn't very likely that she was one hundred percent alone. And it was soon that she discovered she wasn't.

* * *

><p>Back in Starling City, Oliver and Digg had started to get worried. They hadn't seen or heard from Felicity, she hadn't answered her door, and they couldn't get a track on her phone. Every night Oliver got angrier and pissier towards Laurel. Digg considered himself lucky that he was the acting tech guy.<p>

...

Nearly three days had passed when Digg was finally able to trap Oliver into talking- Oliver had been standing by Felicity's desk while Laurel showered. Slowly Digg approached him- stopping a few feet back.

"You know we'll find her." Digg spoke solidly, hoping Oliver wouldn't give him shit.

"What's her problem? Why'd she leave that night?" Oliver turned, eyes dark and brooding, seemingly lost somewhere in his mind.

Digg had promised not to say anything, but he was getting pretty worried too. He sat in her chair.

"Look man. Felicity left that day because of Laurel." Oliver's face was incredulous.

"Why?" Digg stared at him. He really didn't see it; even after the Mansion.

"Laurel came out of nowhere and you just started training her, while Felicity could only sit at her computer and wonder if history would repeat itself- just with Laurel instead of Sara."

Oliver had started pacing at some point in Digg's speech, but now he stopped.

"She's jealous of Laurel?"

"No Oliver. She's jealous of your willingness to teach Laurel. Plus she's afraid you'll replace her with Laurel." Oliver's jaw nearly dropped.

"But I'm mostly just humoring Laurel. I don't expect her to stay… and to be honest I'm not sure I want her to." Diggle could have punched him.

"Maybe next time you should tell her that. Now though, we need to focus on finding her."

* * *

><p>It had been close to three weeks the next time Felicity was woken by the rain. Unwilling to let it deter her she started her morning run early.<p>

She knew her path well enough, but hadn't accounted for the wet leaf litter. It took only one little slip before she was sliding down the hill, and screaming "I'm going to die!" Which was her first negative thought since that first day.

She hit the bottom of the hill with a loud crack. Laying on the ground she couldn't move or at least didn't even want to try.

It didn't take long before she let herself drift into unconsciousness, grateful for the reprieve from the pain.


	4. New Faces

Felicity may have left her camp early, but when she became conscious the sun was working its way through the trees. It was a massive change from the start of her run.

She knew she couldn't lay on the ground forever- especially when she couldn't be completely sure of the extent of her injuries. Of course it was just as dangerous to get up and try to make her way back.

Planting her arms and put a little pressure on them. There was a wave of pain that ran through he left arm. When she did the same with her feet it worked at least a little better than her arms had.

After nearly ten minutes, she was finally standing up, when she heard something running through the trees. Almost instinctively she dropped to the ground, and instantaneously realized the error of her ways. A severe pain swept through her abdomen. She had expected bruises, but now thought that she might have broken a couple ribs.

When the person (as it had to be) crashed through the nearby trees, Felicity had to stop herself from fist pumping to her success at not screaming when she hit the ground.

When the person finally arrived in Felicity's area, all she could see was his shoes. They were nice- even fancier than the shoes Oliver had worn when he was the CEO at Queen Consolidated. Felicity couldn't control her curiosity; She needed to see what kind of person ran around Lian Yu in shows that could pay for a new computer.

It was easier to get up this time, quickly finding herself face to face with not just one man, but two. The one with fancy shoes was staring at her with intimidating brown eyes. Every so often he'd pull his gaze and stare down the man who'd been following him. He had beautiful piercing blue eyes that reminded her of Oliver. The thought sent a pang of sadness through her; she really missed Oliver and Digg.

"Fancy Shoes" took advantage of the others distraction. As he ran, Felicity felt her legs weaken. They may not be broken, but that didn't mean they were fine. She let herself fall, figuring the danger had moved on. In her assumption of being alone again she didn't hear him approach, jumping when a hand was gently laid on her back.  
>"Are you alright?" He actually looked concerned.<br>"Shouldn't you be chasing down Mr. Fancy Shoes?" He smiled.  
>"'Fancy Shoes'?" He questioned, causing Felicity to turn red and duck her head down so she couldn't meet his eyes. "I can do it later; I'll find him again. You look like you really could use some help. Can I ask your name?" Felicity looked up at him warily. She needed help, but could she trust him?<p>

He held out his hand to her. She bit her lip and kept their eye contact. Finally she reached out and took his hand. She realized that she didn't really have a choice here. He was the first person she had seen on the Island and she would really appreciate the help right now. She grabbed his hand and let him pull her up.  
>"I'm Felicity Smoak." He smiled at her; obviously glad she chose to trust him.<br>"My name is Dick Grayson. Why are you here?" She almost answered his question, but all her injuries were becoming completely obvious.  
>"Instead of talking here could you help me get back to my camp? I kind of fell down that hill behind me and now I hurt. I mean I am pretty sure I have a couple broken ribs, and dislocated my shoulder, and I'm sure there are bruises and cuts and now I'm feeling light headed. I mean I thought my shirt felt wet, but I assumed it was the leaves because I mean I did fall in the middle of a rainstorm, but now you know I'm wondering if it is actually blood." Felicity would have continued, but Dick held up his hand when she went to take a breath.<br>"None of that sounds good. Where is your camp?" She gave him a basic idea and he slowly helped her back to the plane. "This is where you are living?"  
>"Uh. Yeah. Long story. I just really need to sit down…like now." Dick could see her starting to sway. He moved and caught her just as she started to fall.<br>"Okay. You are going to stay sitting down now." He helped her sit down on her little bed set up. "You know, this may seem a little forward… but you need to change and get out of the wet clothes and then we are going to have to check those injuries.  
>"My back hurts. Can you check that?" He nodded and had her lean forward so he could help her get the shirt over the hurt shoulder. It took a few minutes, but they got her shirt off. Behind her she could hear Dick inhale through gritted teeth; the action never being a good sign- no matter who it came from. "What? What's wrong?"<br>"I'm sorry. There is just some really nasty looking cuts on your back, and some serious bruising on your side so I bet you are right about those broken ribs. As soon as we get you fixed up a little bit I'll take you to my partner. He'll be able to help you a bit more than I can right now." Felicity just sort of nodded; she didn't even bother trying to pick up her head. The pain from all of her injuries was really starting to settle in.

She didn't move or change positions at all, while Dick dug around her supplies finding what he thought he'd need. He set them down beside her.  
>"Hey, Felicity. Could you tell me what you think is wrong again?"<br>"Yeah uhhh, Cuts, bruises, dislocated shoulder, broken wrist or maybe hand, and a couple of broken ribs."  
>"I'm pretty sure you're right about just about everything." He bent down next to her so he could look her in the eye. "I'm impressed." She gave him half a smile.<br>"I've picked up a few things in the last couple years. Can I get some drugs?" He couldn't help his smile; she was adorable.

After he brought her some ibuprofen he took the time to clean up her back and stitched up several of the cuts. When he went to go for her shoulder, he tried to sneak but she caught the motion. She tried to keep an eye on him, but as soon as his hand touched her arm she almost leaped up.  
>"Oh no. I know it needs to be done but people are always assholes about it and say they'll do it on the count of three and they end up doing it on two or even one…" Her little ramble was interrupted by the loud 'pop' from her shoulder being relocated. "Ow that hurt. You suck… you couldn't even give me some warning of some sort or <em>anything<em>?"  
>"Sorry. At least now it's over." He tried to say this without laughing, but he ended up snickering a little. "And now I've done as much as I can. So tomorrow we'll go see my partner."<br>"Mmmkay. There are some extra blankets and stuff over there." As he settled himself he could see that she was already almost completely asleep. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face; she really was one of the cutest people he'd met in a while.

It was early the next morning when Dick woke up and saw the sat phone sitting out. Felicity was still asleep, but he knew how they worked, so he went outside the plane to set it up for the call to his partner.  
>"Hey. So I need you to come out here and get me. I found a girl and I helped her out some, but she still needs more help than I can do here. Can you be here in a couple hours?" From inside the fuselage, Felicity could hear him on the phone, but she couldn't tell who he was talking to; he hadn't given any identifying information away.<p>

When he came back in he helped her pack up, as she was practically useless when it came to picking things up. They had pulled her things to the beach when a boat slowly approached the island. She was waiting carefully, keeping her distance, while a man came off the boat. He had bright blue eyes (what was it about her and blue eyed men?) and almost looked familiar. She continued to stay back while Dick approached the man who must have been his partner. They talked quietly for a minute before both approached her.  
>"This is Felicity. She was the person I was talking about." The other man stepped forward and held out his hand.<br>"Hello Felicity. I'm Bruce Wayne."

Side note: Thank you for reading and also a serious thank you to my beta awesomeperson12


	5. Helping Hands

The name triggered a memory of hers. Bruce Wayne was CEO of his company; Wayne Enterprises. They had worked alongside Queen Consolidated for a couple of projects. Feeling pretty sure that she wouldn't embarrass herself, she spoke.

"Bruce Wayne? Like Gotham City Bruce Wayne?" Both Bruce and Dick nodded. "Wayne Enterprises Bruce Wayne?" Again they nodded. "Batman?" They started to nod before what she said really sunk in. When they realized it both froze. Bruce covered his surprise with a practiced ease, while Dick's surprise was very obvious. He looked like he wanted to ask how she knew, but it wasn't his secret; so he looked to Bruce instead. He was smiling and watching Felicity

"Yes, I am Batman. Very good Miss Smoak." He told her, as it was pointless to deny it. "How did you figure it out?" At first Felicity was quiet; trying to gather her words so she wouldn't give Oliver's secret away with her rambling.  
>"Let's just say that I have experience with vigilantes." This statement got a few raised eyebrows, but no interruptions. "So can you guys help me out here?"<br>"Of course. Just tell us what you need; besides a lift of the Island."  
>"Okay. I need several things from the plane, and I need to try and find something, a plant that can be found on this island. Plus, I'm not sure I will be leaving Lian Yu." The last statement confused the two men, but they decided to file this information away and to ask again later.<p>

"Are you going to give us more details about the plant?" Dick asked.

"Dick. Be patient." Bruce chided.

"Yeah, I will. Just not quite yet." Felicity smiled using a grin guaranteed to melt the hearts of just about anyone; even the most serious, stone-hearted vigilante.  
>Dick and Felicity went back in the direction that they'd come from; this time with Bruce tagging along behind them.<p>

As it was the morning after Felicity's accident the pain was really starting to settle into what felt like every single muscle in her body. She was feeling insanely sore, so she was glad that Dick could lead the way; it was taking all of her focus just to keep herself going at all. She probably could have gotten help from either man, but she wanted to do it herself. Getting hurt was a normal part of being a superhero; even if it would slow her down now. She could just hope her injuries wouldn't be this bad ever again.

The men were great about helping her. It only took them one trip each to get her backpacks and a couple of miscellaneous items that weren't in either bag. When they were back on the beach and had set her things down Dick asked about the plant again.

"Before we go hunting for plant I really need a break. I'm sorry to be holding you guys back, but my ribs and… well about every other part of my body needs a break. Even seasoned superheroes take a little time off every now and then, don't they?"

Bruce acknowledged her request.

"I'll show you to a berth." Waving her ahead of him, he followed her onboard. Dick was left on shore, with the baggage.

In Starling City, The Arrow had been coming closer and closer to killing again. Oliver was spending more time on patrol, less time in the lair, and he was rarely taking the time to do any training with Laurel. Of course he would do his training in the lair, but would spend half of his workout glancing back at Felicity's empty desk. It stayed like this until one day, where Laurel went to turn on one of the computers and Oliver yelled at her for at least five minutes straight. It was this incident that showed Diggle and Roy just how out of their depth they were. They were going to have to find Felicity.

It was hours later that Dick came to wake Felicity, but to her it felt like only minutes. She woke up quickly and felt alert. If this had been a month ago, she would have needed thirty minutes and a couple cups of coffee to be this awake. For as little as she had managed to accomplish on Lian Yu, at least there was that. She followed Dick back onto the beach where Bruce was waiting.

"Felicity. Are you feeling better?" Felicity smiled and nodded; Bruce was actually really nice. "Are you ready to go hunting for that plant?" Again she nodded. Dick looked like he wanted to say something, but Felicity spoke before he could voice whatever was on his mind.

"This plant is an herb, and I am pretty sure it grows on the mountain. The leaves are what will be used and they tend to be broad, and not too small, but not too big either. Is that enough to start on at least?" Felicity said, knowing that Dick was likely to ask about the plant again.

"Would you be able to recognize the plant on sight?" Bruce asked.

"Yes." Felicity was sure of that at least.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dick headed back towards the forest, with Felicity and Bruce trailing just behind him.

Thanks to my beta Awesomeperson12. They're fabulous!


	6. Digitally Found

The hike to the mountain was both as tough, and as easy, as they had expected. It wasn't hard, even for Felicity, to make her way through the brush to the base of the mountain.  
>The actual ascent was a completely different story because they were trying to climb a mountain, while Felicity looked for the plant that only she could find. Luckily enough, Felicity spotted one before they were halfway up the mountain. She had stopped and done a double fist pump and yelled "Yes!"<br>Dick had been right behind her and was stopped in his tracks, narrowly avoiding running into her. Even so, he saw her fist pump and couldn't keep the smirk off his face. She whipped around, a bunch of broad, veined leaves in hand. Dick couldn't contain his laugh; Felicity looked so excited.  
>"Really? Fist Pumping?" Felicity glared at him.<br>"Shush. I found the plant, so now we just need to collect some more."  
>Now that they all knew what it looked like, it was a lot easier to collect in mass quantities. The hike downhill felt shorter, but it was still just as tiring. The three had considered leaving the Island that night, but instead chose to wait and let Felicity have the time to make her tea in the quiet that loomed over the Island every night. She could have probably done it on board, as long as she had consistent hot water, but both Bruce and Dick were interested in the process.<p>

At the beach, Felicity worked to get a fire going, while the two men hung in the background. As the water heated, Felicity realized that she was grateful (for once) that she had been forced to make the tea for Oliver more than once. It allowed for her to make quick work of preparing it.  
>When she drank it she must have made a face because Dick spoke up from behind her.<br>"So, exactly how bad did that taste?" He was smirking again. Felicity wanted to stick her tongue out at him; no matter how childish it would appear.  
>"Well it's certainly better than dealing with the injuries, or at least trying to get any serious physical work done when you hurt. You know? I'm sure you've been seriously hurt before. It doesn't work well when you try to work on injuries and never really do anything to help them heal." Felicity threw a glance in his direction, only to find him staring at her. "Sorry. Rambling. I'm just going to go… get some dinner." Felicity turned and headed for the boat, her face slightly flushed because she hadn't babbled in front of them before, and now there was no chance to hide it.<p>

It was close to 1:30 in the morning when John Diggle finally got home from the lair. He was hoping that Lyla would be asleep; the pregnancy hormones were really starting to run rampant.  
>Of course she wasn't asleep, but at least she wasn't throwing up; no matter what they say about morning sickness, it definitely did not confine itself to the morning. Even from across the room Digg could see that she was not up because of the pregnancy. When he got closer she practically jumped up from where she had been sitting.<br>"John Diggle, do you mind explaining to me why A.R.G.U.S. is keeping tabs on the Arrow? He seems to have reverted back to his old ways and it is pissing Amanda off. What the hell is wrong with Oliver?" Digg cringed. He had been hoping to avoid this; at least for a little longer.  
>"Felicity is still missing and it's really starting to take its toll on him." Digg thought he saw a flash of sympathy cross her face, but if it was there, she covered it quickly.<br>"You need to get him under control. Amanda is already considering how far she'll let him go before she brings him in." Digg shook his head.  
>"I've been trying, but really we need her back. I would try to search for her myself, but Oliver will go crazy when anyone goes near the computers in the lair. Can you sneak a search in at A.R.G.U.S.?" Digg locked eyes with Lyla, an expression crossing his face that could only be described as puppy dog eyes; if John Diggle could ever be described as making a face like that of course.<p>

At first Lyla wanted to stay out of it; Amanda was already on a warpath. Plus it would be futile to hide the search, Amanda would find out about it anyway. She had to help them though. The Arrow did good, and she knew Felicity was the conscience of the group; they needed her back.  
>"Fine. I will see if I can get you any information on where to start looking." Digg smiled, leaning towards her to press his lips against hers.<br>"Thank you."

Lyla didn't waste any time the next morning. It was barely lunch when she called Digg. It was a short conversation, only two words.  
>"Hong Kong." Digg hung up immediately and called up Oliver.<br>"Oliver. I've got a lead on Felicity. She flew to Hong Kong."  
>Oliver and Digg had an early meeting at the lair-Laurel would show up tonight and this was not something she was a part of. Of course with the information about Hong Kong Oliver had figured out where she had gone quite easily.<br>"She went to Lian Yu. But why?" Oliver was adamant in his statement.  
>"You're probably right and she went because of what happened. Remember when I told you that she felt useless and needed the space and everything? I knew she was going to take some time to work on things, but I didn't think it would be this drastic."<br>"Well you know what this means right? Team Arrow is taking a trip back to the Island." Digg agreed and they went to the mats to spar.

"When Laurel arrived about an hour later she wouldn't have known anything had happened, at least until Oliver told her that he and Digg would not be in the lair for a couple days. She tried to ask and find out any details she could, but neither Oliver nor Digg would spill.  
>They finished early that night as they had managed to get on an early flight for the next morning.<p>

When they boarded the plane the next morning both were quiet. They had a lot riding on this lead. If she wasn't on Lian Yu or in Hong Kong they wouldn't know where else to look. The entire flight Oliver could be seen staring out the window, and Digg knew exactly what was on his mind. He wanted Felicity back. Of course Digg had the same thought on his mind, except he knew Oliver needed Felicity; especially if Starling City wanted it's hero back.  
>'Please let us find her.' Digg thought, staring up at the plane's roof. 'Everyone needs her to come back.'<br>These thoughts became almost a chant; Digg did not stop repeating them for the rest of the flight. It was only once they'd touched down in Hong Kong that he pulled himself out of his own mind. They were going to find Felicity; and if they wanted Oliver to ever be the Arrow again they needed to find her, and as quickly as they could.

Sorry this chapter was delayed. Also thank you to my beta awesomeperson12!


	7. Close, But No Cigar

_**Hey! So sorry for the lack of update last weekend; it was my birthday and I had friends visiting and I needed to start getting ready to move back to school. The goal as of now is to have an update for you next week, before switching to two week periods. At least for the first couple weeks of the term. Also I tired to fix the spacing and was not having it. So sorry!**_

The flight from Central City's airport to Hong Kong was by no means short. Their airplane had taken off at 7:30 am California time and now it felt like 10 pm; which it was, just not in Hong Kong. For them it was barely 2 in the afternoon. Obviously they couldn't get onto Lian Yu that night, so instead they checked into a hotel and collapsed on the bed, hoping to sleep easy.  
>They were relatively calm in their sleep; they were actually asleep, and there were no nightmares to be found yet.<br>Of course if they knew who had just arrived at Hong Kong's International Airport or who was making an appearance at the docks, they would not be relaxing at all.

Laurel had found out where Oliver and Digg had gone. It hadn't taken much work on her part as she did have a bunch of District Attorney Resources and of course some from the Police Department. Finding their flight number wasn't hard and it was only a few hours later that she had managed to get on the next flight to China.

On the plane she could only stew in her emotions; she had thought she was a part of the team. She couldn't be sure why there were here, but she wanted to be part of it; she wanted to prove herself.

Dusk was spreading across the water, making the chill of night more apparent to those exposed to the air. Felicity could see Hong Kong in the distance, but the sheer mass of lights made it incredibly hard to judge how far away they were.

It could be ten minutes or two hours, but she wasn't going to ask anyone. She wanted to figure it out herself, the whole point of this trip was to become more reliant on herself, and less so on other people. Of course there was a tiny bit of fear that made her want to impress her companions; not embarrass herself.  
>In her head though, she justified it as such; Dick was sleeping and Bruce appeared extremely focused on driving the boat. So she went from there, trying to ignore her burning questions (for now at least) and instead focus on her upcoming training.<p>

They had, of course, invited her to tag along even once they got off the island and now she had no idea what to expect. She could only wonder what they had in store; would it be sparring? Different martial arts styles? Would they teach her about any weapons? She couldn't be completely sure what the two men were proficient at. Of course the biggest question was not what was she going to learn but, where was she going to learn?

The sun had completely set when they arrived at the docks. Of course it didn't really matter because the city was still bursting with activity and all the lights could have been a sun all on its own. It took just a few minutes to get everything unloaded before the trio set off into the bright city lights. They hadn't gone too far before they found a place to stay the night. It was only after they had settled in that Felicity took the chance to ask some of her questions.

"So is there anything that you guys can tell me about what's happening next?" She glanced between both men. Dick looked to Bruce.

"We aren't going many places at all. I believe that you can be taught just by us. I taught myself and then trained Dick. We will be traveling out of the city though; there are too many people here. That won't be till tomorrow though."

"Can I get a heads up on what I'll be doing?"

"You won't do much of anything until you've healed a little more. After that we'll have to cover some martial arts and sparring, stealth, and probably swords, archery, and guns. Dick is also going to teach you tactics for fights, etc. And of course we'll cover other languages Even in your own city that will be useful." Felicity pretended that this wasn't overwhelming, but honestly it was at least a little bit. There was nothing she could do about it tonight though, so she settled in to sleep.

The next day dawned early for all parties currently in Hong Kong. Laurel was on the move first; moving to the docks to watch for Oliver and Digg. She should have realized it before she got on the plane that he'd head to Lian Yu if he was coming here, but why he would want to go back to that island she couldn't figure out.  
>Oliver and Digg had left the hotel at a reasonable hour and headed to the docks. They had a boat waiting for them and were quickly headed out to sea. Laurel had grabbed herself a boat to follow them and rushed ahead to get as far away as possible. She needed to reach the island first.<p>

Felicity and Team Gotham (as she was calling them in her head) were slow to wake up. They didn't really have any place to be urgently so they took their time. Even with that it was barely 10 am when they were getting ready to leave the hotel room.

"Did you decide where we are going?" Dick asked Bruce.

"I might have an idea. I was thinking about heading to Japan. I believe that we can cover a lot of things there and I have friends who can help us." He started to walk to the door. "Also we'll take a ship. We can do some basics there and Felicity" He looked at her pointedly. "You can heal up some more so you'll be ready to go when we reach Japan." Neither Felicity nor Dick had any comments so they simply followed Bruce from the room.

Laurel did manage to reach the Lian Yu before Oliver and Digg. She didn't know how long they'd be so she headed into the trees just a little; trying to see what it was like there.

When a part of Team Arrow arrived on the Island they were suspicious to see a boat leaving it. They disembarked slowly and quietly; Digg preparing his gun and Oliver getting his knife.  
>They waited on the beach and looked around before hearing a rustling in the trees. They ducked down, hoping to get the first look at the newcomer rather than the other way around. A pheasant exited the trees and Oliver relaxed slightly. It wasn't a danger, but he couldn't help remembering his first day on the island, with Yao Fei and the bird.<br>Of course he wasn't prepared for someone to come flying out of the woods moments later. Luckily Digg had relaxed too otherwise he would have fired. Oliver was both surprised and not surprised to see Laurel standing in front of them; hands on her hips. Oliver sighed.

"Laurel, what are you doing?" He really didn't want to deal with this.

"I wanted to see what you guys were doing that was so secretive." She was defiant; determined not to let them see she wasn't happy.

"There was a reason we didn't tell you, so obviously it was a secret." Oliver did not want to deal with this.

"You're also lucky I didn't take your head off." Digg added in.

"Look. I want to help you, and I'm trying to, but you aren't your sister. Maybe one day you'll be as good as her, but that isn't now. You need to stop feeling like you're entitled to everything." Oliver didn't want to compare her to Sara, but maybe that was the only way to get her to understand now. "I won't send you back, but you need to listen. Consider this part of your training. Just this time there isn't breaks every time you need them and nothing is easy."

"Will you tell me why we're here?" She kept prodding.

"Not yet. Not without more information. Give it a little while. There are so many things you don't know and don't need to know. Right now, this is one of them." Laurel wasn't happy with his response, but it was either follow them into the woods or stay on the beach; so she followed them.


	8. Just a note!

Hey guys-

Sorry this isn't an update but I just wanted to let y'all know there will most likely be a two week hiatus now. I know I said I'd post today, but my dad had a heart attack on Tuesday so I've been spending most of my time at the hospital. Plus now I need to pack and move into school this weekend. And then my first week of classes.

TL;DR This weekend will not have a post. Next week may not have one. So next time FOR SURE will be the week after that and I'm hoping I can make it a bit longer since y'all are waiting.


	9. Bruises

**Thank you guys for being so patient while I dealt with... life and such. I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D Sorry that I switched "scenes" so much, but hopefully it doesn't bother y'all :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>It was only when Bruce led them far past the pier they'd docked at the night before that they realized just how big the shipyard is. It certainly didn't look it, but it had to be so much larger than Felicity had imagined. They had already walked at least five times as far as they had the night before. They had passed through the boats and now were wandering through massive ships. To both Dick and Felicity it seemed like they were wandering aimlessly, but Bruce wouldn't waste that kind of time; he knew where they were going. Felicity had zoned out after a short while, so she didn't notice that Bruce had stopped and proceeded to run right into him. No one really looked at her, but she was just proud of the fact that she didn't fall on her ass.<p>

Looking up she saw the ship, which must be the one that Bruce was looking for, in front of her. Several people in mechanic overalls were loading large boxes onto it, but Bruce completely ignored them and headed up the gangway. Felicity turned to Dick and found him already looking at her.

"Seriously?" Dick shrugged. Bruce was already on deck, his presence commanding; even though Felicity was pretty sure it wasn't his boat. Feeling completely awkward about casually strolling into an unknown situation. When she reached the deck, she paused, having lost sight of both Bruce and Dick. Ten minutes later when the ship was getting ready to begin its trip, Felicity still hadn't found either member of Team Gotham, so it became a moment of choice. She could stay and see where it takes her or back out. Another couple minutes the ship was headed out to sea, taking Felicity with it.

* * *

><p>On Lian Yu, Oliver was trying to lead Digg and Laurel through the trees as quick as possible. There were too many memories on this island, and he didn't want to think. Digg had realized to keep his mouth shut right away, but Laurel hadn't quite figured that out yet.<p>

"You seriously lived _here_ for 5 years?" Her eyes went wide.

"Yes." Oliver spoke abruptly, his steps never faltering. He wasn't going to tell her that there had been a little while where he hadn't been on the Island. There was only one person that he'd want to tell that to right now, and she was lost to him; at least for now.

"We need to head this way- there was a plane that I lived in for a bit." Digg nodded in his direction, remembering their previous trip to the Island to bring Oliver back after the Undertaking. They walked about another mile before the clearing and fuselage came into sight. Oliver almost froze; a thousand memories swirled through his mind, reminding him of all the people he'd met and lost here.

As they got closer to the fuselage, again Laurel spoke.

"You lived in a rusting plane for 5 years?" She looked appalled. Oliver didn't look back though; he didn't even answer. He was lost in a memory starring Slade and Shado.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Bruce and Dick to find Felicity wandering aimlessly around the deck.<p>

"I know we said you could take more time to recoup, but do you think we could start now?" Dick looked at the ground; feeling bad that he'd even asked, but his training was held off until she started too.

"Sure. Let's get it started." Felicity was happy to start, but man would she be sore come tomorrow.

The next couple of days were spent rising at dawn and starting with a run around the top deck, followed by 50 push-ups, and 50 twisting curls hanging from whatever pipe they could find; and that was just the warm-up and cool down. Being on a ship did limit their options, but somehow Bruce managed to find a spot for sparring practice and of course working on mental skills like strategy, and stealth, among other things. The rest would have to wait for the ship to dock.

Several times a day, Bruce would pull her aside and start a conversation with her, but she could tell what he was trying to do. He'd try to get information about who she was, or how she got to Lian Yu, or what "superhero" she had helped. She gave up little of course. All she told him, or Dick, was what Oliver and Digg knew about her, and that was not much at all. So she bided her time and waited till they arrived in Japan, hoping that Bruce would stop his questions when they had more to do.

* * *

><p>Oliver was finally pulled out of his memory when he heard Laurel yelling; her voice echoing inside the plane. As he focused he noticed Digg watching him; he knew there would be questions later.<p>

"Hey Oliver." Laurel yelled. "Isn't this Felicity's?" Oliver started, moving as quick as he ever had. In the distance he heard a phone ringing, but he ignored it; all he could think about was Felicity.

Laurel was inside the plane standing in one corner. On the floor in front of her was a few small items, most could belong to anyone, but there was one item. The item that stood out from all the rest was the arrow industrial earring. He was dragged back, remembering that day.

_Felicity had come into the Lair that evening giggling happily. It made Oliver smile to see her happy. _

_"__What's so funny Felicity?" He was careful in his question; he didn't want to wipe the smile off her face. She paused, but then turned around something clasped in her hands. _

_"__Look!" She opened her hands and in her palm was an arrow shaped industrial piercing. "Is it cute? I was out today and I found this and I had to get it because the irony." Oliver had nodded and smiled at her. _

_"__You'll have to be careful though. People might connect you back to me." She had claimed she wouldn't wear it, but he found her wearing it more and more; he never commented though. _

Now here it was on the floor of the plane, and he wasn't sure how he felt about seeing it not in her ear. He picked it up, but before he could do anything else, Digg entered the plane. It was obvious from his expression that he had something important to say.

"What's up Digg?"

"Lyla called the SAT phone. Apparently there is a minor emergency in Starling and Amanda is planning to come out here and retrieve you if you don't come back." Oliver growled.

"You know the fact that I don't actually work for ARGUS doesn't seem to process in her head does it?" Digg shrugged, expressing the quite obvious 'what can you do?'.

The trip back to the boat they'd left on the shore was very uncomfortable. Both Digg and Laurel could hear Oliver cursing Amanda under his breath and rubbing Felicity's earring between his fingers. It was going to be a long trip home.


	10. Training Secrets

All-in-all the trip took nearly a week before they finally arrived. Sadly, only three of these days had been spent on dry land, and Bruce had been pushing their workouts. Now though, they had arrived and the real training cycle could begin. Even with that the days started the same- for the most part at least.

Felicity was starting to get tired of the same of monotonous routine, but she understand that it was necessary; so she kept going. At least she was really starting to get used to the feelings that came along with these workouts; how they hurt even more the next day and that no matter what she did they were probably never ending. But now she could look forward to something new, as Bruce had finally decided on plans for what would happen next.

They'd been in Japan, in around the same area, for at least a week when Bruce finally settled on a check of basics he wanted her to have mastered before moving on to more skills. It was relatively straightforward; mostly covering the work out she'd been doing every day for two weeks. Of course, there were a few changes to make it slightly more difficult; Felicity was expected to do a course that involved 50 push-ups, 20 curls (while hanging from a bar), what would hopefully be a six minute mile run and then the salmon ladder. She wasn't sure where or when Bruce acquired one, but it was a new challenge. It hadn't been an exercise before, only being added on now and Felicity was expected to do it; her only advantage being that she knew how it was done.

It was early when she started her test. She made it okay through her push-ups, and even her curls, but the mile slowed her down just a bit, as her muscles were starting to get tired. She finished the mile in 7 minutes, not quite on par, but it wasn't bad; certainly better than any other mile she'd ever run. She was delaying with a water break, but she knew the salmon ladder would be coming soon, and she didn't want to fail here; she was determined. She was worried a little about her muscles, but if the her muscles could adjust from the small training she'd done in Starling to the training on the Island, to this rigorous training than she should at least be able to move up the ladder.

It was only half an hour later when Felicity was done, her only acknowledgement a nod from Bruce. Knowing she had a two day break before her new tasks started, she let herself collapse on her bed, hoping that maybe she'd get lucky and wouldn't have to move until then.

Two days later, Felicity woke early to a knock on her door. Dick was standing there, a stack of paper in hand.

"You ready Felicity? It's strategy day!" She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond so she just followed him down the hall to a conference room. It was there that they spent the rest of the afternoon running through scenarios and working on tactics. Felicity found it relatively easy; this was the kind of thing her brain was good at, well usually of course.

The next day Dick showed up at her door in work-out clothes.

"Come on Felicity. It's sparring day!" Following him down the hall she wondered how much this would hurt in the morning. Over the next three days they sparred; one-on-one, two-on-one, attacking, defending, defense (and a training of sorts) for weapons that are commonly used, like knives, guns, switchblades; even keys. Even past that they covered other basics from different martial arts forms to help with adaptability. When they came to the actual one-on-one sparring they had some time with different moves. Mostly punches, including hooks, jabs, and uppercuts, but Felicity learned the power of the elbow. Finally after three days they thought they were moving on, but Bruce added in an extra exercise. On the fourth day Bruce covered sweeps, grabs, holds, and how to flip people. Without realizing it, Felicity was improving on flexibility and strength up to what was practically gymnastic.

Bruce had to run an errand after that so both Felicity and Dick had the day off, but Felicity didn't stay still; instead trying some of her tactical skills to follow Bruce through the city. After following for 15 minutes she started to get worried. One would expect Batman to notice this sort of thing; she wasn't even trying to be too quiet.

Finally he stopped, outside of a non-descript building. Felicity debated turning around and heading right back home, but her curiosity got the best of her. Instead of sneaking this time, she marched into the building like she belonged there and no one questioned it. She caught sight of him turning a corner and she followed right up to the door he went through. She leaned against the door and upon realizing it was so thin decided to stay and listen in. She couldn't catch all the conversation- Bruce and his companion kept switching between English and Japanese, but she did hear her name. It didn't take much more for her to put together what he was doing. Bruce was trying to find out about her, but besides guessing that he was Batman, and that she worked with superheroes before, what secrets did he believe she could be hiding? She couldn't stay after that, not knowing how much longer she had, so she turned and ran.

Felicity didn't speak to Bruce upon his return, but he had been deep in thought anyway. The next few days after that were spent one sword fighting. Bruce was really trying to condense everything so they just covered some stuff; working long hours with bokken, and then iaito before finally moving on to a katana. For the most part he just covered cuts, slices, and jabs, along with throwing knives (among other small sharp objects) and used both moving and non-moving targets. It had reached the point now where he would go out more often; leaving them to practice and try to master everything, mainly because Bruce wasn't giving them enough time to truly learn it all.

It was another two days later that they started with archery. Having worked with Oliver just a little she kind of knew how to do this; correctly at least. They spent three days practicing their stances, and aim before Bruce finally tried to sum everything up. It was like they went back to Day 1 with the workouts and everything, before moving into sparring, swordsmanship, and finally archery. It was definitely archery that Felicity was best at and it was that day she was determined to show it off.

When Felicity walked up to her target area she was taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down. Stopping, she readied herself, standing perpendicular to the target, and spreading her feet so they were just about shoulder width. Standing, she pulled an arrow from a quiver and set up; placing the arrow on the shelf, nocking the arrow to the string, and placing one finger above the arrow, and two below pulled the bow up and took aim. She felt steady where she was so she pulled the string back, all the way to her cheek (even she was surprised by that) and then released. The arrow hit the target in the middle ring. It wasn't a bulls-eye, but she also didn't miss- so she'd take it. Turning around she saw Dick had disappeared and it was just Bruce standing there now. Putting her bow over her shoulder she walked up to him. Not even giving her a chance to speak he started.

"Impressive. Now tell me about your past. I've heard too many things to know what's true." Felicity didn't move.

"Well, what have you heard?"

"I've heard stories of growing up in Vegas, I've heard about your experiences at MIT, and about how smart you are, but what I am most interested in is the connections people make with other superheroes. There are so many of them I can't believe it, but there have also been some serious villains mixed in there. And if you are mixing with the other side I'm going to have to take care of you." Bruce tried to be menacing and intimidating in his last sentence, but Felicity didn't flinch. They had started a stare down when Felicity first approached him, now no one broke it; instead they stood there frozen and unblinking, just waiting to see who would crack first.


	11. The Return

So I'm thinking there might be one or two more chapters and than an epilogue before I finish! I'm setting up another, so I will hopefully have that ready pretty soon so I can get it going!**A/N:** I added a paragraph that'll hopefully answer a question. The next chapter should sum up the answers to a lot of other questions people have.

_**Page Break**_

They stayed in their stand-off for several moments. Felicity relaxed, never breaking eye contact, knowing that she held all the power now; the ball was in her court. She could lie and he'd never know otherwise.

"Well… it depends on what you consider as a bad guy."

"You know exactly what I consider a 'bad guy.' " He made little air quotes around the word, almost mocking Felicity's word choice. "Someone who sets out to hurt people are "bad guys"."

"Then what does that make you?" She crossed her arms in front of her. "If my memory serves, which is usually does, than a lot of people have died at the hands of Batman." Bruce narrowed his eyes and gritting his teeth, continued with his questions.

"Just tell me. Who. Do. You. Work. With?" Felicity sighed.

"Fine. I can give you the list." Bruce quieted, waiting for Felicity to speak.

"I've worked with the Flash, S.T.A.R. Labs, the Arrow, Arsenal, Canary, A.R.G.U.S., the Suicide Squad, the Huntress, and a couple members of the League of Assassins. Is that enough information for you?" Felicity was getting annoyed, and therefore slightly snarky.

"For now." Bruce walked away from her.

Over the next couple of days Bruce asked her a couple other questions; ones that were common questions, but she still didn't particularly answer. Eventually he moved away from her present, realizing that she wasn't going to budge, and went on to her past. Even then she wouldn't tell him much- mostly those things that Oliver and Digg knew... so basically nothing. Bruce must have realized this because soon after he stopped asking questions.

A few days later Bruce needed to return to Gotham and Wayne Enterprises. He hadn't talked to Felicity since the last time he'd questioned her. Of course he hadn't tried to get rid of her either, so she wasn't sure where she stood with him. She did know that they were leaving; Dick had let it slip the day before. Now she sat at a table, watching them work on packing, while she stared at a map, pretending to make plans for herself after she separates herself from Team Gotham. She only did this for two days before Bruce pulled her aside.

"Do you want to come back to Gotham with us? Or at least we can give you a ride back to the states."

"Sure." Felicity spoke shortly. At first Bruce wasn't sure what to say; she wasn't giving him anything to work with.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning." He watched her, like he was waiting for a response. Felicity wasn't one to hold a grudge against someone, but the thought of being near home was causing her thoughts to race at a million miles an hour. Sure, she had agreed to go home, but she didn't know if she was ready or if she could even face Oliver and Diggle.

Who knew what they thought of her now; for all she knew they could have found a replacement for her. She certainly wouldn't have blamed them.

They left early the next morning, around about 7am. It was weird for Felicity to be headed back home with someone; she'd expected to be alone for a little while longer. It was nearly 6am the next day that they finally arrived at the airport in Gotham. Having to adjust time zones so much was really messing with Felicity's head.

Still unsure of what she wanted to do, she accepted Dick's offer for her to sleep on his couch for the night. Plus, Bruce extended the invitation for Felicity to come with them to their Lair tonight; they needed to run a patrol. There was no way that she'd say no to that.

They two of them just ran patrol while Felicity manned the computers (which gave her a feeling of nostalgia), and there wasn't a whole lot out there, surprising as it was Gotham. When they arrived back Felicity expressed the fact.

"Not much going on here tonight was there." Bruce shook his head before heading to somewhere in the back of the lair. Felicity had explored a little while they were out, but there wasn't really a lot she could see. It was either through locked doors, or in a dark corner. With the lack of things to explore, Felicity had time to think. Being in this lair made her miss her lair. It was within an hour after that thought that she decided that tomorrow she would go back to Starling City.

She did spend the night on Dick's couch, though it wasn't much of a night, only around 4 hours of sleep. When she woke up at 5am she didn't bother going back to sleep; she just wrote up a little note for Dick and caught the earliest train she could.

It was nearly 8am when she arrived back in Starling City, and she did run by her house first, looking around and reminding herself that she was pretty happy where she'd been; at least in Starling City before she actually met Oliver Queen. Not that she regretted that. Since Oliver had been spending the time before she left trying to get QC back, she thought it might be relatively safe to go to the Lair; Oliver and Digg should be out somewhere, probably with lawyers, but first she needed to stop by Queen Consolidated.

Before she'd left for her trip to Lian Yu she had put in for a sabbatical of sorts, so hopefully she'd be able to get her job back. Whether as an IT girl or the new CEO's Executive Assistant. So, when she'd showed up at QC and been sent straight up to the CEO's floor, she was surprised. Walking into the office, there was no one at her old desk, which was probably a good sign for her. In the office behind her desk she could see a well-dressed man sitting at his own desk. She walked quietly, and as far as she could tell he didn't notice her until she knocked on the door.

"Hello Mr…" She trailed off. His head popped up and smiled at her.

"Palmer. Ray Palmer." He got up and held out a hand to her. "Are you Felicity Smoak? The front desk called and said that she should be on her way up." Felicity slid into EA mode.

"Yes. I'm Felicity Smoak. I don't know if you know about my past here, but they said to talk to you about my future." She stopped talking and waited a moment before she realized what she'd said. "Here I mean! Obviously it can't be my future otherwise, I mean you aren't a fortune teller or anything." She paused again. "Unless you are..." Felicity's voice got smaller. She was afraid she just embarrassed herself immensely, but Ray Palmer was smiling at her.

"Well Ms. Smoak." Felicity interrupted him.

"You can call me Felicity. Or Ms. Smoak. Or Felicity! Whatever works for you."

"Well, either way I don't have an EA, which I'm sure you noticed on your way in." She nodded. "Now I understand if you want to go back to the IT department, I can make that happen, but people spoke highly of you as Oliver Queen's EA. I'd love to have you come back and do the same for me." Felicity considered it for a moment. She did need work, and while she loved IT, she could probably get away with her Arrow work here, along with her actual QC work. Plus, by this point she had gotten relatively attached to the position. She actually enjoyed her work most days.

"Yes." She answered solidly. "I'll come and be your EA."

"Great." He stated with a smile. "Are you good to come in on Monday? I know you were on a leave of sorts when the management changed."

"Of course. When would you like me to show up?"

They discussed minor details for a few more minutes before Felicity left the office; the bigger details would be taken care of on Monday. Now she headed to the Lair- or at least the building that had been the lair when she left. Just by walking up to the door she could see they were still there; the electronic lock she had installed was still there. Entering her code, the door opened, not that she expected them to change the code.

Making her way slowly down the stairs, she tried to get an idea of what she was walking into. She didn't hear the salmon ladder, or the sound of sparring so she figured it was safe, though highly unusual unless they were patrolling the city. Walking down she didn't see anyone so she headed straight for her computer chair. She had settled and was running a diagnostic on her setup when she heard someone behind her. Spinning around she found Laurel coming up from the showers. When she saw Felicity she stopped short. Felicity was the first to speak.

"Hey Laurel."

"Felicity. You came back."

"Uhh… yeah. That was always the plan."

"Could have fooled me." Felicity just barely heard Laurel mutter under her breath. Felicity considered answering, but decided it wasn't worth it. She didn't need Laurel's opinion; she was worried about Oliver and Diggle. Sadly, Felicity didn't have to say anything for Laurel to continue. "Ollie hasn't waited around for you. He's hoping to have a new IT girl in here pretty soon." Felicity didn't want to believe it. She knew that even if Oliver did want to replace her, he would have found her anyway; he felt he owed her for hunting him down when he ran away after the Undertaking. Plus Diggle wouldn't do that either. She didn't wait around though, she just got up and left. Halfway up the stairs she paused and turned back for a moment.

"And don't touch my computers." She walked out.

Felicity spent the weekend at home, readjusting to a scheduled life. She didn't stop what she'd started way back at Lian Yu, and then with Team Gotham. Every morning she would run, and swim, followed by the rest of her workout in the evening. She was hoping to use the salmon ladder at some point soon, but she figured she needed to see Oliver first.

When Monday finally rolled around she didn't stop what had become her routine; she just had to start earlier so she could shower and get ready to go to work. It was early when she got there, but she used her time well making sure to check the computer and everything. Apparently nothing had changed since she left. She had set herself to work, so she didn't even notice when Ray walked in.

"Felicity!" He seemed surprised to find her there.

"Yes?" She approached him. "When do you want to go over everything?" Ray still looked confused to her being here.

"Uhh… now?" She followed him into his office to make sure they got to everything they needed to.

Since she already knew what she was doing, everything ran smoothly for the first two days. She was working on the computer, as Ray didn't need her at the moment, when she heard _that_ voice.

"Felicity?!" Her head snapped up and there was Oliver Queen standing right in front of her, Diggle not far behind.


	12. Facing Him

Felicity wasn't sure what to say to them, so instead she stayed frozen, mouth wide, gaping like a big-mouth bass. It didn't matter though because Oliver started firing off questions faster than a professional auctioneer.

"Where did you go? When did you get back? Why the hell did you leave in the first place?"

Felicity ignored him, instead choosing to walk into Diggle's open arms. He held her close, and she realized how much she missed him.

"I'm sorry I left you alone with Oliver." She spoke, her voice muffled by his chest. She felt, more than heard his laugh.

"Don't worry about that." He told her. "Instead, why don't you tell me why you seem so much fitter than you were when I saw you last?" He winked. She smiled at him, appreciating the gesture, but then turned to face Oliver.

"Hold on for a second, okay? I have a feeling our conversations will take a while." She turned to tell Ray that she was going to take her lunch; it was probably best that they had this conversation somewhere more private.

They ended up at her house; Ray having graciously given her the rest of the day off to take care of everything. Even Diggle got himself out of her house as soon as he could.

After the front door closed behind Digg, Felicity leaned back against it.

She could feel his eyes on her, so she kept her eyes downcast trying to avoid the emotions she expected to find. She couldn't be sure what he was feeling; it could be anything from hurt to hatred. Finally Oliver broke the silence.

"Felicity… would you please look at me?" She sighed and looked up, meeting his eyes and Oliver was surprised to see the lack of emotions in her eyes. He stepped closer, confused. This wasn't his Felicity. She broke eye contact again.

"What happ…" He froze. "Never mind." She didn't ask about his Island, so he wouldn't ask about hers.

"Would you at least be willing to tell me why you left Starling in the first place?"

"You don't want to know."

"Well, Digg mentioned something about Laurel driving you out." Felicity froze, and Oliver could see the fear in her eyes. Was she really that afraid of his response to her not getting along with Laurel?

He reached out and took one of her hands.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Felicity spoke almost before he managed to get the question out.

"It's simple, Oliver." She pulled her hand out of his, and both felt the absence, though neither commented. "It's Gorgeous Laurel." She paused. "Plus I didn't know where we stood." She whispered this, so quietly that Oliver almost didn't hear her.

This time he didn't hesitate, or even take the time to speak; instead he brought his hands up to frame her face and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers.

It took a moment, but Felicity pulled back.

"Oliver." She looked confused. "What are you doing?" He pulled her back against him.

"You talk too much." He practically growled out. Still not entirely sure what was going on, she allowed herself to relax, and when he pressed his lips to hers, she pulled herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She expected that he'd keep the kiss short and sweet, but she realized that that was about the complete opposite of what he was thinking when he slid his hands from her face down to her hips, pulling her flush against him. It was only when he needed some air that he pulled back slightly, looking down at her.

"You know I meant it right? The night in the mansion." He paused seemingly nervous to say what Felicity already guessed was coming. "I love you. It was hard to say sure, but I'm not sure I've ever had to make a tougher decision, than the one I made, when I left you there. It…was unthinkable. I almost couldn't do it." Felicity's jaw practically fell to the floor.

"Are you serious? ...What about Gorgeous Laurel?" He groaned.

"Forget about Laurel. I burned that bridge a long time ago." Felicity was confused. This man looked and talked like her Oliver (for the most part), but this one was saying things that he wouldn't say to most anyone.

"Your Oliver?" He smirked. She groaned, dropping her head against his chest.

"God. How do you always manage to be the one around when my brain and mouth completely disconnect." She may not have been able to see his face, but it was quite obvious that he was grinning.

He held her tightly, against his body, for another few minutes before finally loosening his grip on her, still refusing to let her go. It only got worse when she looked up and found him intently watching her. This time it was her who used her hands to frame his face.

"It's okay Oliver. I have no intention of leaving like that again. If you look away, I'll still be here when you look back. I promise." Oliver pulled her back against him and buried his face in her hair.

It wasn't much longer before they left Felicity's house and headed to the Lair. As soon as they entered, Felicity could hear Roy shouting her name. Apparently no one had told him that she was back. She had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Roy ran up and hugged her. She couldn't help laughing at him; sure she and Roy got along, but he was not usually this exuberant. Glancing around her, she spied Diggle, but surprisingly no Laurel.

"Where's Laurel?" Roy grimaced. Diggle spoke.

"She decided to take a night off."

"Oh." Felicity left the boys and headed to her computers. She felt bad for driving Laurel off, but commenting on it would just cause all three of the boys to try to convince her it wasn't her fault. Even when she knew it was.

She tried to ignore it though, for the sake of the team. Both Roy and Oliver had suited up while she was lost in thought, and Diggle was more than happy to hand the control of the comms back to her, and be able to head out and act as back up to both the Arrow, and Arsenal.

The three men left less than five minutes later, and Felicity settled into her chair. Looking across her babies, and hearing the roar of the motorcycles in her ear she smiled. She was home.


	13. Oliver Queen is an Idiot

Yay! Update! Only goingn to be a couple more till I finish this! Enjoy!

Two Weeks Later

Team Arrow was kept busy just about every night for two weeks, dealing with petty thieves, and small-time criminals, leaving no time for them to talk about any of the important issues that were going on in their lives. As time passed, the list of things that needed to be discussed between the members of Team Arrow, grew longer and longer. Finally they had a slow night, and Felicity convinced the boys to stay in. Oliver and Felicity were sitting on one of the workout mats, while Digg and Roy ran out to Big Belly Burger to get dinner for everyone.  
>She'd been kind of zoned out when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.<br>"Felicity…" he started slowly. "Is something the matter?"  
>"Not really. There is just a lot on my mind." He grabbed her hand.<br>"You want to talk it out with me?" Felicity took a deep breath.  
>"Well it's about two weeks ago. Just after I came back." Oliver didn't say anything. "When we talked at my house."<br>"Yeah, what about it?" Felicity stared at him in disbelief.  
>"Are you serious? I'm talking about…" She trailed off. "You know, never mind. Obviously, it wasn't that important." She stalked off.<p>

When Digg and Roy returned with dinner, Felicity was working at her desk, but clearly was not happy. Roy automatically scooted around her and went to the one empty table to start eating, but Diggle stopped.

"Felicity, what's wrong?" He pulled up a chair next to her.

"I don't want to talk about it. Besides, I'm trying to run these searches for you all." She went back to typing.

"I know you can do those searches in your sleep. What's wrong?" Diggle was worried; this was eerily similar to how the day had gone before she left the first time. Digg was about to ask her again, he refused to let her run away again when Roy spoke up.  
>"Felicity are you ready to tell us about your latest adventures?" She shrugged.<br>"Sure." She shifted closer to where Roy was sitting. "Well… I jumped the gun a little when I ran off, but I wanted to make myself more of an asset to the team. It always seemed like I was the one who caused complications and I wanted to be able to handle it myself; so I went to Lian Yu. I wasn't there for too long, I mean I was not really gone for too long overall. Anyway, I spent some time there and tried to do some strength training there. There was one day that I slipped and fell down a hill and a man found me; Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne. I spent a decent amount of time with them, getting training from Bruce." Oliver had moved closer to them so he could hear the story, so when Bruce Wayne was mentioned Oliver narrowed his eyes. They all knew he was there, but no one commented on it. "They brought me back to Gotham, and I took a train back to Starling and basically you know the story from there."  
>"That's it?" Roy sounded disappointed. Felicity glared at him.<br>"Well for a summary- yeah it is. There isn't much else to cover to be honest… just what they taught me I suppose."  
>"Well let's hear it!" Roy settled back in his chair; even Digg nodded at her to continue.<br>"Well… while I was alone on Lian Yu I worked on my strength, flexibility, and 'awareness of surroundings' sort of things. There wasn't much else I could do on my own without extra equipment. Once I met Bruce… well he trained both Dick and I in hand-to-hand, sword and knife fighting, archery, etc." Roy jumped up.  
>"Let's go Blondie. You and I are gonna spar. I wanna see these skills." Felicity stood up and shrugged.<br>"Why not. I just need to go and change." She headed towards the back.  
>"It was when she headed back to front end of the Lair when she heard Diggle and Oliver talking.<br>"_What did you say to her?_" Digg was obviously questioning Oliver about her mood.  
>"<em>I didn't say anything!<em>" Oliver sounded annoyed.  
>"<em>Oh. Well I'm guessing that is the problem right there<em>." Digg stopped speaking as soon as Felicity reappeared in the front.  
>Roy was already on the mat, so she just ignored Diggle and Oliver and headed towards Roy. She hadn't gone very far before she heard Diggle talking to Oliver again.<br>"_Oliver. Shut up. You cannot go and ask her right now. Just wait a little. I mean she never interrogated you about anything._" Felicity tuned them back out and focused herself on Roy.

"Alright. Let's do this."

When Felicity and Roy started fighting Digg and Oliver moved closer, interested in how this would turn out. Both were holding their own; one with their punches and the other with their kicks. Everyone thought it was over when Roy got behind her and wrapped around her like a bear hug. They fully expected her to call it, until she flipped him over her shoulder and onto the ground. She came down with him, but got him pinned in the moments before Roy could really realize what had just happened. When his brain did catch up, she held him for another couple seconds before standing up and offering a hand to him, which he took.  
>"Damn Blondie. That was impressive. I won't underestimate you next time. We'll have to fight again soon."<br>"I could go now." Felicity seemed completely relaxed no matter what had just happened. Digg stepped in.  
>"Nope. Not happening right now. It looks like you tore some stitches or something." Felicity glanced at her side where blood was slowly soaking through her shirt.<br>"Oh. I forgot about those." She wandered to the med bay table, still relaxed, even with the fact that a needle was going to make an appearance in a minute or two.  
>"I'll do your stitches for you. Cool?"<br>"Yup. I would appreciate that Digg." Felicity spoke as she pulled herself onto the table and took her shirt off, leaving her in just a sports bra and yoga pants.  
>From behind her Oliver and Roy noticed her back and were sort of staring. Most of her scars were thin and pale, but they were still there. Roy didn't even bother trying to hide his curiosity.<br>"Felicity! Where did all of those scars come from?" She glanced over her shoulder.  
>"Most of them are from training. I mean it's not like I started sword fighting as an expert."<br>"Are you going to tell us about them?" Felicity shook her head.

"Not right now. Another day." Roy nodded and headed off.

It was around eleven pm when Felicity went home, and she was happy to be leaving earlier than usual. Plus it was getting her away from Oliver as she was still upset with him and wasn't sure what to even do about it. Instead of thinking about it she kicked off her shoes and poured a glass of wine. She was sitting at her kitchen counter, drinking wine, and working on some of her side projects when her phone vibrated. Glancing down she could see a text from Diggle, telling her how Oliver was acting weird, and then approximately six texts from Oliver trying to get her to talk to him. She might be willing to deal with it tomorrow, but it wasn't going to happen tonight.  
>She had finished her wine and started getting ready for bed when her phone vibrated again. This time she didn't even bother looking at it, knowing it was probably Oliver. Instead she settled into her bed and tried to fall asleep until she heard a loud knock on her door. When they knocked again a couple minutes later she groaned and got out of bed. Straightening her ponytail and tank top she headed to the front door. She didn't even bother to check the peephole, instead just opening the door. She was not surprised to see Oliver standing there; he was insanely persistent. Even though she was still unhappy with him, she couldn't help but admire him as he stood there in jeans and a tan jacket.<br>"Felicity, can we talk? Please?" Felicity paused to think about it, but eventually just sighed and nodded. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it.  
>"What Oliver? I want to go to bed."<br>"Look. Felicity. I'm sorry I was such a jerk earlier. I know it isn't an excuse and I don't want it to be. The only thing I can really say is that I was scared. So I backed away and tried to pretend it never happened. Except it did happen, and I don't regret it. Hell I'd like for you to give me another chance; if you'd forgive me of course." Felicity hesitated to think about it, but it didn't take her long to realize that she couldn't stay mad; as long as there wasn't a repeat of the recent events.  
>"Yeah it's okay." She was about to speak again, but Oliver cut her off. Wrapping his arms around her, he spoke.<br>""Thank you Felicity. Thank you."  
>"It's late? You can stay if you like."<p>

A few minutes later, Felicity found herself snuggled up against Oliver.  
>Felicity was half-asleep when she heard Oliver whisper.<br>"Good Night Felicity."  
>"Night Oliver."<p> 


	14. What Comes Next

When Oliver woke up the next morning, he had to take an extra moment to orient himself. He could feel something soft and smooth next to him; he had to think back to the night before.  
>After he'd screwed up with Felicity, he'd gone up to Verdant's bar to get a drink to drown his sorrows in.<br>If Tommy had still been alive he would have helped Oliver find a girl, and now Oliver was considering it. That was how he'd dealt with girl problems- sleeping with another girl. He had even started looking around for someone to approach, until he really thought about it. After the conversation he just had with Felicity, how could he prove her right and make it seem more like a mistake?  
>He'd been proud of himself for not making the stupid choice, but that didn't last for long. It was nearly 1 am when he showed up at Felicity's door and started knocking. He'd been texting her all evening with no answer, but he needed to talk to her. She couldn't avoid him forever.<br>She didn't look too happy to see him, but at least she'd answered the door. He could see the internal debate on her face before he even said anything; she had to be debating if she was going to talk to him or if she'd kick him out. She didn't slam the door in his face… so he chanced it.  
>"Felicity, can we talk? Please?" He thought Felicity might choose to shut the door now, but instead she chewed on her lip before nodding. She looked more like his Felicity did, but as soon as the door shut behind him, the hostile look came back into her eyes.<br>"What Oliver? I want to go to bed." Oliver took a deep breath.  
>"Look, Felicity. I'm sorry I was such a jerk earlier. I know it isn't an excuse and I don't want it to be. The only thing I can really say is that I was scared. So I backed away and tried to pretend it never happened. Except it did happen, and I don't regret it. Hell I'd like for it to happen again; if you'll give me another chance that is." He saw the moment she decided to accept his apology; the hostile look completely dropped from her face.<br>"Yeah it's okay." She may have wanted to say more, but Oliver didn't care at the moment. Instead he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, not letting her move an inch.  
>"Thank you Felicity. Thank you." He whispered in his ear.<br>When she offered for him to stay the night he was a little surprised, but how could he do anything but accept? Before too long, she was curled up against him, while he held onto her like a kid would for their favorite toy.

He remembered. How could he not have recognized Felicity's body? Even with the months she was gone, the only thing that truly seemed to have changed was that she now was a little firmer in areas; places that obviously had been a focus of her training expedition. He pulled her against him more tightly and went back to sleep.

An hour later he woke again, this time noting that it was 9 am; much later than he usually slept. Felicity was still snuggled up against him, her face buried in his chest. He figured that both of them needed to wake up so he started whispering her name.

Felicity woke to a voice; one that was whispering 'Felicity' in her ear. She groaned.  
>"Go away. I'm sleeping." She heard the quiet snicker. She opened her eyes and met his.<br>"Hi." He spoke softly, like he was worried about the next thing she'd say to him. He didn't give her a chance to speak though. "I really am sorry that I was such a dick yesterday. I was stupid and I handled the problem the worst possible way. I…" Felicity covered his mouth with her hand.  
>"It's okay. I didn't exactly handle it as well as I could have either." She could feel his smile on her hand, followed by a gentle press of his lips on her palm.<p>

Both Felicity and Oliver's phones went off at the same time. They recognized it as the sound set for members of Team Arrow, so Oliver grabbed Felicity's phone so neither of them would have to get up; there was a text from Digg.  
>"<em>Lyla received a message from ARGUS. Some League members have been spotted in Gotham. Amanda won't say anything, but you know she wants us to go. When can you be ready?<em>"Oliver turned to Felicity.  
>"You up for a trip to Gotham?"<br>"Sure." Felicity answered sharply, trying to hide the fact that she didn't want to have a run in with Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson. Oliver texted Digg back from her phone and when it vibrated a moment later he turned back to her.  
>"Digg says that Roy would be there and… that he let Laurel know." Felicity wasn't quite sure how Oliver felt about this (or how she felt for that matter), but she could see multiple emotions crossing his face. He didn't give her a chance to say anything though. "I told Digg that it'd be an hour before we could get to the Lair. Would you go to breakfast with me?"<p>

It was actually only 45 minutes before Oliver and Felicity made it to Verdant. In the lair they found Roy and Digg standing near the computers and talking; they didn't see Laurel anywhere.  
>"Laurel decide not to come?" Felicity asked. The door beeped. "Never mind." She turned expecting to see Laurel, but it wasn't here. Instead she found Sara standing there, Nyssa not far behind. Felicity launched herself at Sara.<br>"Sara!" She threw her arms around her neck. Sara smiled down at her.  
>"You're still cute." Digg didn't waste any more time, instead stepping closer to talk to them. "Why are you here" He asked Sara, but really we all knew he meant Nyssa. Sara didn't give Nyssa a chance to get mad.<br>"There are some rogue league members running around Gotham. We wanted to see if you guys would be willing to help."  
>"Well actually we were meeting her to regroup before we headed to Gotham."<br>"Awesome." Sara said. "Well Nyssa and I have to run over there now, but I'm sure we'll see you there!" They had only been gone about five minutes when Laurel actually did show up to the Lair. She noticed Roy and Digg packing up some stuff over in one of the corners, Felicity doing something with her computers, and Oliver standing right beside her, obviously trying to get as close as he could without actually touching her. She cleared her throat, and Felicity tensed.

Next to her Oliver was confused by her sudden tension; a quick glance around the room only told him that Laurel arrived. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.  
>"What's wrong Felicity?"<br>"Nothing." Oliver wanted to push more, but he could hear Laurel moving their way.  
>"We aren't done here." He spoke quickly, finishing just before Laurel arrived next to them.<br>"Are we all going to Gotham?" She asked, only looking at Oliver, but Felicity could hear the disdain dripping from her words. He nodded, but before he could say anything, Digg called out from across the room.  
>"Finish up guys. We move out in five minutes." Oliver gently squeezed Felicity's shoulder before moving past her to gather his gear. With each packing without distraction they were actually ready to leave in five minutes.<p>

Digg had the van out in the parking lot and they all settled in. Roy was keeping Digg company in the front, leaving Felicity, Oliver, and Laurel to sit in the back. No one spoke for most of the drive; each of them had something they wanted to talk about to someone else, but they certainly didn't need for everyone to hear the private conversations.

They arrived in Gotham a few hours later, and all of them were happy to finally get out of the car. It was early afternoon, so they moved their bags into their hotel rooms and settled in for a little break while Felicity gathered information for them.

They had two connecting suites, so Digg and Roy laid claim to one, and Oliver volunteered to have the couch leaving Felicity and Laurel together. Of course they were going to have someone up to keep watch, so these four beds weren't a problem in anyway; someone would always be awake. It was getting close to evening when Felicity finally found the things she was looking for. She had several photos of Sara and Nyssa, letting her know that they had reached Gotham safely. There were three other photos on the screen, but they were obviously the unrecognized rogue league members. Felicity had been lucky and had managed to find a place she believed could be their hideout. With everything in hand they left their rooms, gear tucked away out of sight until they reached the exited the hotel and everything was going smoothly until, of course, it wasn't.  
>"Felicity! Felicity Smoak!" She tensed when she heard a voice she knew say her name, and had to take a deep breath before turning.<br>"Hey Dick." She turned to the other man. "Hey Bruce."


	15. Assassins in Gotham

So I'm sorry it took so long for this! If everything goes as planned there should only be one or two more chapters. Hopefully shortly after that I will be able to start posting my next multi-chapter fic I have planned. Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Oliver read the tension in Felicity's body and moved closer to her. It had taken him a moment, but he realized that she was talking to Bruce Wayne, and some kid. He placed a hand gently on her lower back and waited.<br>"Felicity! What are you doing back in Gotham? You left so early before. I woke up and you were gone. It took me an hour to find the note, but even that just said that you decided it was time to go home. I mean you had stayed up late helping us in the city." Dick stopped, feeling Bruce glaring at him. Regrouping he spoke again.  
>"Did you even wait until Friday morning or did you leave right away?" Felicity felt Oliver's hand twitch on her back. Of course she hadn't told him how long she'd been in town, but now he knew. Felicity got tired of his questions.<br>"No actually I didn't leave until 5 am on Friday. It was working with you guys and that reminded me of where my home was and where I belonged. So I left. Now can I go? I'm supposed to be helping these guys," she gestured over her shoulder. "solve a problem." She turned and started to walk away when Bruce called her name.  
>"Felicity. This conversation is not over." Felicity paused for only a moment before she decided she needed to go; so she didn't answer.<br>She didn't let anyone stop her, instead she moved quickly and situated herself in the van. She was alone until Oliver came around and slid in beside her.  
>"Well we are having dinner at Wayne Manor tomorrow night." Felicity looked at him in awe.<br>"_Why would we do that?_" She was actually surprised he'd said yes considering she knew he'd recognized her reaction to them.  
>"I didn't exactly have a choice. Roy and Laurel wanted to desperately, and while I was about to say no to them and decline the invitation, Digg started glaring at me. So I had to agree." He paused. "Plus it would be rude not to. Polite society and all that."<br>"Can I pretend to be sick and not go?" Felicity looked so eager, it almost was painful for Oliver to dash her hopes.  
>"Nope. You're the reason they invited us; Bruce wants to talk to you."<p>

The drive to the warehouse wasn't going to take much time, but the van screeched to a halt much sooner than anyone expected. The three in the back looked at each other in confusion.  
>"Digg, what's going on up there?"<br>"The assassins are standing in the middle of the road. No way around, so looks like the fight is happening now."  
>Oliver grouped them all together for the moment.<br>"Okay. So according to Sara, those three are the only ones here. She and Nyssa should be somewhere nearby, so with them as back-up, we should be more than able to take care of them." Laurel responded with a question.  
>"What if Sara and Nyssa aren't around?" Oliver glanced between the two of them, and Felicity could see just the tiniest bit of worry in his eyes.<br>"Then you and Felicity will be back-up."  
>"I'm not waiting here. I can fight." Oliver groaned, but there wasn't anything he could say to dissuade her; so she continued.<br>"Maybe we should call Sara and tell her where we are. I mean it's not like we'll have back-up with the four of us out there. Felicity's the only one left." Felicity took a deep breath, trying to keep control. She could see the look on Oliver's face; the one that was working desperately to not say anything to Laurel.  
>Felicity shook her head subtly; she didn't need Oliver to fight her battles for her. Instead she'll just look forward to the time that she can finally prove Laurel wrong.<p>

The four of them had left 10 minutes ago, and the fight was still going strong. Felicity watched them through the windshield; even though there were only three assassins, the four were practically having to do two on one. Every few seconds Felicity would pull herself away from the action to check on each member of her team. On the far left she could see Roy and Laurel working on one assassin, and Digg was hovering at the edge of Oliver's fight waiting for his chance; his assassin was lying on the ground.

It was only two checks later that she could see the assassin start moving. Digg was engrossed in helping Oliver and it was more than likely that this one would escape- so Felicity didn't think it through. Instead she stood up and hopped out of the van, sneaking around to the alleyway she could see him heading towards. She knew that she was completely unqualified to fight this man, but a quick glance back at her friends showed them all to be very busy. She could just see him in the shadows, but she didn't try to hide. If he hadn't noticed her approach already than he was a pretty bad assassin; so she waited.  
>He did come at her a minute later and even with her preparation she took the first hit hard. He'd charged and gotten her up against a wall. She struggled to get free, but it wasn't working and to be honest she was more confused as to why the assassin hadn't killed her yet. Then, the reasoning didn't matter because she had an idea.<br>She stopped struggling against the man's hold. It only took him a moment to relax just slightly and look at her- probably wondering why she stopped fighting. And just as he turned to her, she head-butted his face followed by the resounding crack of his nasal bones breaking. He'd lost his hold for just a moment, and Felicity took him down. She worked quickly; first she grabbed his arm and held tightly, while she slammed her foot into his knee. He fell. She moved to twist his arm, and successfully dislocated his right shoulder before she shoved him down- making sure his head hit the dumpster on the way down.  
>She had to run back to the end of the alleyway to alert someone that she needed some help to move him when she felt it. It was a moment too late that she recognized that sound of a gun, and that next moment was painful as a bullet ripped through her shoulder. Glancing behind herself, she could see the man barely sitting up, using his left hand to shoot.<br>"She realized she was lucky than- he'd probably shot with his opposite hand, and had missed his true target...at least she hoped he did. She sighed in relief only to be reminded of the bullet wound in her shoulder. Placing one hand against the wound in her shoulder, she managed to take the one more step required to get back to the street and she found the other two men out.  
>Roy and Laurel were moving one to the back of the van, while the other one must already be back there. She could see Digg and Oliver glancing around, trying to find something; whether it was her or the third bad guy she wasn't sure, but at the moment she didn't exactly care.<br>"OLIVER! DIGG!" She screamed as loudly as she could and it only took a moment for the men's eyes to lock onto her and start running towards her. When they reached her, and Oliver wrapped her arm around his neck, and his arm around her waist she finally let go of the energy she didn't have.  
>"Digg." She wasn't sure if she was tired or if it was something else, but she wasn't able to talk loudly anymore. Of course he heard her anyway.<br>"There is the third man down the alley just a little ways. When I moved away from him he was out cold." Digg nodded and moved further back towards the area she had indicated.  
>When he returned just moments later with the guy draped across his shoulder, Oliver scooped her up into his arms and followed Diggle back to the van.<br>Felicity wanted to tell Oliver that she could walk just fine, though she knew that she couldn't. That rational part of her brain was telling her that she should just stay as she was, but she could almost hear her pride yelling about her being able to walk, or the fact that she was shot in the arm not the leg. She shifted just a little in Oliver's arms and quickly discovered that walking was a terrible idea; her pride would just have to accept that.  
>The van was much more cramped than it had been originally, with the extra three bodies lying on the floor. She could hear Laurel speaking on the phone in the background, and other rustling noises, but she didn't bother to try to look around; she trusted that Oliver would watch out for her.<p>

They were around the corner from the hotel when Digg pulled to a stop. Sara and Nyssa were waiting in the shadows to join Digg in the van, so he could give them, and the assassins a lift to the airport.  
>The bleeding from Felicity's shoulder had slowed, but Oliver still wrapped his jacket around her to hide the bloody shirt.<br>"You're going to have to walk into the hotel Felicity."  
>"I know. I'll be fine." Oliver didn't look like he quite believed her. "I swear." Laurel and Roy went ahead of them, keeping as much attention off Felicity and Oliver as they could.<p>

They made it upstairs easily enough and by the time Roy and Laurel returned to the rooms, Felicity was cleaned, stitched, bandaged, and curled up on the couch.  
>By the time Digg got back, she had her head resting in Oliver's lap, and was asleep.<br>"Did you give her anything?"  
>"Just aspirin." Digg gave a quiet chuckle, and with one last glance over the two on the couch, he headed back to his own room to get some sleep.<p> 


End file.
